Bleach: Liber Chaotica
by Pickman's Secret
Summary: Everyone is preparing for battle against the Arrancar, but some think that strength alone is not enough and find a hidden weapon. Will they be strong enough to control Chaos? Or will it end up bringing another threat? Temporarily Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

Word of the Arrancar spread like wild fire through the 13 Protection Squads of Soul Society, and the remaining Captains did all they could to prepare their troops for the coming war, which would surely be the toughest challenge any of them had ever faced.

The squads trained and practiced harder than ever before to face the new enemy, each squad doing what they did best. Captain Unohana of the 4th made new salves to heal more grievous wounds quicker, Captain Kurotsuchi of the 12th tried to draw out strength with cruel experiments, the 6th drilled harder than any, under the cold unflinching gaze of Captain Kuchiki, while the 11th were beaten into shape like a molten sword from the forge by the brutal Kenpachi. But this would not be enough; no amount of drilling, special balms, hideous alterations or raw power would be enough to take down this enemy.

The Captain of the 13th knew that the preparations required a different approach, he knew that regardless of the subtlety in the sword strike, or the cunning in the invention, they were all brutality by another name, the other squads sought to cover their own weaknesses instead of learning those of the enemy. Captain Ukitake knew that they needed to learn everything they could about the Arrancar to stand a chance in defeating them, and so as soon as the Meeting of Captains had ended, Ukitake had immediately taken all his seated officers and headed straight for the Archives beneath the Central 46 Chambers so they could turn a hope into a chance.

Isagiga Itoka, the 5th seat of the 13th Division had spent days in the Archives, searching every file in the computer system for the slightest mention of the Arrancar, or anything even Arrancar like, and he did so until his legs lost all feeling from being unmoved for so long, and only decided to move once the dim blue screens revealed nothing more than what was already known. He bit back his frustration and flexed his muscles as he ventured down the levels of the Archive, resorting to perusing the increasingly aged tomes that sat neatly on organised shelves.

During his investigation he ate only when lower ranking members of the squad found him amongst the maze of shelves, and handed him food which he consumed silently while staring at the thick writing of old books, and despite the fact that he had not slept in days he forced himself to stay awake with his devotion to the job, and the thoughts of the praise his beloved Captain would bestow upon him when he found that essential kernel of knowledge that would lead to the downfall of the Arrancar, he craved that warm smile of merry approval that made him swell with pride, the smile that would come when he helped the Shinigami to re-assert their dominance over the hollows and their ilk.

Days or maybe even weeks passed, Itoka wasn't sure, the fog of fatigue and the lack of windows in the deep well-like Archive made the passage of time impossible to tell without a watch. Days went by without finding anything and Itoka worked deeper and deeper into the library of ancient lore, going down onto levels which hadn't been visited in years, decades or maybe centuries; anything he found, no matter how trivial it seemed, he would take to his Captain, hoping it would be of use, but each time Captain Ukitake glanced over the information hungrily, but then discarded the information with a frown of frustration and ordered him back down into the depths to look again, and with each journey back to the dusty lower levels the effects of fatigue crept in on him, depression and rising choler made his mood foul.

After a particularly harsh rejection by his Captain for accidentally bringing him the same piece of information twice due to tiredness, Isagiga began stomping deeper and deeper than he had last been, wanting to gain as much distance between him and the 13th Captain, whom his respect for was beginning to wane. Deeper and deeper he went, biting back the desire to shout angrily up to the surface where he knew the echoing central shaft would carry his voice, onwards he went until he could no longer see the roof of the shaft despite the lights.

Itoka had never thought that the Archive went on for so long, and had never known that so much had been recorded, or that knowledge existed from so long ago. Books this deep had a thick layer of dust and the spines were cracked not from use, but from age and ill maintenance, most of these books might not have been touched for a thousand years, if not longer.

Still angry Itoka bent down and ran his finger along a random row of books, brushing aside some of the dust on the spines only to find they had no names written on them, so with another annoyance to add to the pile he began to randomly pull out books and peer within the covers, not knowing what he was going to find or if any Arrancar had even existed at the time of the creation of these tomes.

"_He doesn't appreciate your efforts."_ said Itoka's inner voice as he skimmed over browning pages, his choler rising again as he realised that what he was staring at was nothing more than a history of dock construction, _"None of them appreciate how hard you're working."_

"Ungrateful bastards…" he muttered to himself out loud, he had never felt as angry before as he threw the book aside and rubbed his puffy eyes that itched with tiredness and dust, smearing the Celtic patterned red paint that surrounded them.

"_You're so close to bringing them the answer they've been looking for, so close to the weapon with enough power to take out the Arrancar with ease. Why can't they appreciate that?"_ Itoka nodded resolutely at the thought, but paused after a minute. _So close to the answer?_ Had he seen something before that until now hadn't registered? Quickly he looked around, looking across the dusty book spines, but they all looked the same, all unmarked, none unique, but after a few moments of fruitless searching his rising frustration was quelled by an odd sight.

Itoka stood slowly, his eyes fixed on the middle shelf, on a book like all the others, dark grey and covered in dust, but something was different, its as if the book glowed but without light, as if it emitted a reiatsu of its own, but one unlike any he had ever felt. His legs seemed to move of their own accord, slowly but surely carrying him towards the book, his hands were outstretched now, his fingers aching to touch the spine, to feel the old leather and pull it free from the cramped confines of the shelf.

"_This is it! This is the weapon! This is what will bring down the Arrancar! This is what will make them see your worth!"_ cried his inner voice, causing a smile to break out of his slim face.

"They will… see my worth…" he repeated slowly as he lifted the book from the shelf with both hands, but to his surprise the thick tome was as light as a feather, and what he had thought to be a book of dark grey leather like all the other, was actually a pale brown, stained leather book, heavily gnarled with what looked like an eight pointed star carved into the cover, partially obscured by a crusty red substance that was dotted all over the edges of the pages and the cover.

Slowly he opened it, more by instinct than by act of will, and some of the red crust cracked and fell away as ancient knowledge was revealed after thousands of years, but excitement died as he looked upon the stiff, stained pages and saw odd red runes which he had never seen before.

"I… I can't read this!" Itoka exclaimed aloud, in a mix of depression and anger, hopelessness crushing in on him, as if the deep archive was suddenly filling with water. He felt his only chance to distinguish himself had fled him, but as he turned the pages idly he found that suddenly a two page spread was written in the Kanji with which he was so familiar, and his hopelessness was pushed back like darkness chased away by the light of a candle.

Itoka stood for long minutes staring at the Japanese writing in front of him, staring but not reading, and slowly he turned back in the book, and to his further bafflement the runes had turned to Kanji as well.

"But… what?" he shook his head and stared harder, the symbols were indeed Japanese, there was no sign of the runes and he even checked to see if pages had stuck together, but after a while he concluded that he must have imagined it, after all, he hadn't slept in so long. He closed the book, confident in his success and began to make his way slowly back up the levels towards the surface, new energy filling him as he smiled triumphantly at his discovery.

"_The weapon is in your hands, the answers they want and power you need are yours to do with as you see fit."_

Captain Ukitake sat at a large reading table on the top level of the archive, surrounded by officers, each discussing something with each other and the Captain, each of them pointing at passages in books, but none of them interested Itoka, none of them knew what he had, or that what he had would outshine all of their finds put together.

Despite his silent approach, Captain Ukitake looked up at Itoka with weary eyes, his usual carefree demeanour having disappeared under the weight of dark bags under his eyes and lines of fatigue like his own.

"Ah, Isagiga, how's your search gone? Got anything good?" the Captain said with a forced smile, his voice thick with poorly concealed desperation.

"I've found something you might find interesting, my Captain." Itoka said proudly with a bow and extended the book towards the now standing Ukitake. As he took it Itoka straightened and noticed the curiosity on his Captain's face, but much to his own surprise it had not been the ancient book he had handed over, it had been a normal grey one, the brown one lay nestled in the crook of his arm.

Before he could say anything the Captain opened the book that Itoka didn't remember picking up and it fell open to a page which made his eyes open wide in astonishment.

"This details how some of the first Arrancar were made!" Ukitake exclaimed jubilantly, "It's probably not the same as what Aizen does, but it'll definitely help! Great work, Itoka, you definitely deserve the 5th seat!" the Captain's smile this time was genuine as he rushed over, all thoughts of tiredness gone, and affectionately he ruffled Isagiga's dirty blonde, shoulder length hair, filling Itoka with a warm feeling of pride and happiness "You better go get some rest, you've definitely earned it.".

Itoka couldn't remember what he said next as all the past weeks of sleep deprivation slammed into him like a tidal wave and he nearly fell on the spot. He vaguely remembered stumbling back through the streets of Seireitei, and ending up in the Barracks of the 13th Squad, but nothing else.

Just before he drifted to sleep he laid the book beside his head and stared at it closed.

"Why didn't I hand you over?" he muttered partially to himself, and partially to the book itself, and his inner voice whispered inside his head.

"_It is not meant for him, a Captain he maybe, but YOU are the one who will wield this weapon, he got the meagre answers he desired, but what you have here will surpass anything he, or any other Captain have ever seen._

_You will become the instrument that will change Soul Society._

_With it… they will see your worth…_

Without another thought, Isagiga Itoka drifted off into a sleep filled with dreams of the rest of his squad praising him, his Captain offering over his position to him and of Soul Society held firm within a vast iron claw that belonged to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Forty-eight hours of non-stop sleep was as long a period of inaction as Itoka could take, and so after waking from dreams of power, fame and the kindness of women, Itoka went to wash off the weeks of dislodged dust that matted his hair and caked his clothes, and maybe get in a little reading if time allowed.

On his way to the bathhouse near 10th Division's Barracks (debatably the best in Seireitei), Itoka noticed the sound of rhythmically pounding feet headed in his direction. He turned and stared at a baron street off to one side as the sound of feet on paving stones grew louder, and the distant sound of a particularly unsavoury marching song drifted down the street before the bobbing heads of its singers came into view.

The Shinigami at the head of the jogging ranks spotted Itoka and suddenly urged her team into an even brisker pace, making Itoka feel a sudden jolt of irrational apprehension as the image of being trampled underfoot flashed across his mind, but his unease lifted as the team drew short and followed the young officer at their head's lead in bowing deeply.

The red-head officer straightened with a comically official expression on her face and signalled for her team to stand also before she spoke a little too loudly for comfort.

"Isagiga-sama! I'm glad that you've returned from the Archives to lead us again, sir!" Itoka nodded, straightening a little in front of them in some what of a joking commanding posture while trying to restrain his laughter.

"It's good to see daylight again, Imari-san, and you guys too of course." He looked the team up and down and noticed how each of them looked completely run ragged, their clothes were dirty and sweat stained and they looked uneasy on their feet, each looking as if they'd gone ten rounds with a Gillian bare handed. Their punch drunk expressions of determination was typical of rookies trying to look tough, and it made Itoka want to laugh and tell them to take it easy, but he knew they'd do no such thing, especially not under the over-eager watch of the painfully enthusiastic young woman he'd left in charge of the team in his absence.

"I tried to whip them into shape the best I could, Isagiga-sama, but this lot needs an officer's leadership to get the best out of them." The girl stood a little straighter as if her rough handling was somehow a badge of honour pinned on her chest, Itoka thought that maybe she wasn't suited to the kind but firm way of the 13th Division. He made a mental note to enquire about transferring her; she could possibly give Kenpachi's 11th a run for their money.

"I'll see what we can do after I've gotten cleaned up. How about you take the team to the training yard and rest. We'll start training once I get back." Imari bowed and her exhausted followers copied her, although with a noticeable delay. After a few more words of encouragement and advice the ragged team marched off back towards the 13th's training yard, and Itoka knew Imari wouldn't take on board any of his words about resting or slowing down the pace. 'I tried to whip them into shape.' The phrase ran through his head again and he couldn't help but wonder if she had meant it as more than just an expression. Shaking the through from his mind Itoka walked on towards the relaxing warm water that lay ahead.

Itoka entered the relaxing steamy water of the open air bathhouse and let out a sigh of relaxation. The bathhouse was empty apart from him, and he had taken the opportunity to try and persuade the lady at the reception desk to let him use his Seated Officer's Discount despite not being from the 10th Division, but unfortunately she had turned him down so he was forced to pay the full amount.

After a few minutes of relaxing and letting the warm water soak into his aching muscles and bones, he reached behind him and lifted up the gnarled leather book and flipped it open to the beginning after taking a moment to run his fingers over the eight pointed star carved into the front cover.

The Kanji looked somewhat florid but no so much as to make it difficult to read, but it was certainly a style of writing he had never seen before, but the penmanship of the book's author faded in his interest as he began to read what the writing actually said.

"_Chaos is the beginning and end of all things. All energy is in a state of Chaos before it is shaped, and energy returns to Chaos when its form is broken._

_Chaos, you could say, is the building blocks with which everything is made, but matter and energy are not the only things that Chaos gives rise to._

_From Chaos many things are born, for example, a normal man, meek and ordinary, when subject to the confusion and Chaos of an attack on his precious family, is unable to comprehend the situation that is so out of the ordinary, and his preconceived ideas of what to do are useless, and so he is thrown into a state of Chaos._

_The man becomes like clay, broken because of the exposure to things beyond his range of ability, but from this clay like state the surrounding Chaos can reshape him into a hero, but such a change doesn't always last. Maybe the blood of the attackers will temper him into a warrior, like thrusting a sword fresh from the forge into a vat of water, or maybe the blood will soften the clay and send the man into Chaos once more._

_All things must change, rigidity is frailty, complacency gives rise to weakness, if one harnesses the changes a state of Chaos provides then one will find that nothing is beyond them, no task is too great, no feat of heroics too courageous, no fort too strong to besiege and no mind too strong to convince._

_To accept the mouldable nature of Chaos is to provide oneself with the means to adapt to any situation. If the weapon's form is decided in the moment before the strike then the enemy has less time to defend._

_Many past civilisations have fallen because of their refusal to change, or because their laws trap the people, and those people become like a caged animal, which will only take so much before breaking free of its cage and tearing apart those whom caged it to begin with. Rigidity is frailty, Kingdoms fall because the so called peace they provide offers no change, no variation for its people and so their minds break and in turn the rulers break, and so does the establishment that they lead._

_Think, if you will, of a land dedicated to the blissful uncertainty of Chaos, to a Kingdom ruled yet set loose, its people free and left to their own devices, but with a ruler who is able to take the formless mass and in times of need, press and shape it into the perfect tool or weapon._

_Consider the citizens of such a land in a war against an enemy who utilises flawlessly squared ranks, each drilled to perfection, their weapons sharp and their tactics clearly passed down from their leader, and consider what they'd think when looking upon the seething mass of bodies before them, the men and women of the Land of Chaos, to the enemy they seem nothing more than an armed rabble, but as they press forward into battle as a screaming mass of terrifying rage they turn into something much more than barbarians. At the last moment they fall into formations, the enemy's defences largely useless as they had prepared for a human wave, but instead received an abstract yet purpose driven army, each man and woman knowing their place and each knowing just how to strike their enemy for maximum effect._

_And that is what separates them from barbarians. That is what makes them more than just a group of angry citizens brandishing weapons. That one thing makes all the difference._

_Knowledge._

_Knowledge is what differentiates Chaos from plain confusion. It separates a leader in a Chaotic land from the ruler of a simple rebellious state. A learned leader will shape the Chaos for maximum effect where leaders who have risen through sheer strength will squander the wondrous gift before them._

_Chaos is the ultimate weapon, and knowledge is the smith's hammer that shapes the ultimate weapon."_

Itoka stared at the page, rapt by the writings, but as eager as he was to read on his eyes lingered on the last line as he muttered it aloud.

"Chaos is the ultimate weapon, and knowledge-"

"…shapes the ultimate weapon."

Itoka spun in shock, nearly dropping the book into the water as he turned to face the source of the voice at his ear.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a reaction like that." Huffed the tall woman in mock annoyance as she sat back on her hands. She smiled softly and brushed the decorative braid in the hair behind her ear before motioning at the book.

"I see you found something better to do than come say hello to me after being gone for so long."

"V-Vice Captain Isane!" stammered Itoka as he tried to find somewhere to set down the book, bow respectfully and prevent her from seeing anything below the line of the water all at the same time, making him look incredibly flustered and ridiculous.

Isane chuckled softly and kept smiling as Itoka finally got his affairs in order.

"There's no need to be so formal, Itoka, we're not on parade here."

"Ah, sorry Isane-chan, you caught me by surprise. I meant to come see how you were doing, but I got a little… engrossed." Isagiga looked towards the now closed book and despite himself he felt an almost resentful shot run up his spine as he longed to stop talking and keep on reading, but he subtly shook his head to clear the thought from his mind and looked back to his friend.

"What's in the book?" Isane motioned towards the gnarled leather tome, "Did you find something out about the Arrancar?"

"No… well yes, but this isn't it, I handed the information over to Captain Ukitake. This is just some personal reading material." Itoka winced inwardly as he realised how defensive he had sounded and he immediately felt bad as he saw an almost imperceptible expression of worry appear on Isane's face.

"Its not like you to be reading about 'Ultimate Weapon's' and the such, you've always been more of a scholar than a combatant."

Itoka suddenly grinned a little and leaned towards Isane, like a young boy taunting a little sister with a wriggling worm.

"And I didn't think you were the type to sneak into the men's bathhouse and stare at naked guys." Isane responded just as he knew the overly innocent woman would. She immediately turned bright red and became flustered.

"I- I'm not- IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AND YOU KNOW IT!" she quickly stood, and made to leave, "I better get back to Captain Unohana."

Itoka leaned on the rocks that lined the edge of the bathing pool and smiled up at the blushing Lieutenant.

"I missed you down there; I'll buy you dinner some time soon to make up for not coming to see you straight away." She didn't reply, instead she gave a curt bow and quickly hurried out leaving Itoka to his thoughts.

Isane was a good friend; they had known each other since they had been in Rukongai and had always gotten along, and for all these years she had always been quiet and reserved, almost rigid…

"_Rigidity is Frailty. Frailty is weakness."_ Said his inner voice, but he shook the condescending thought from his head and set about getting cleaned up.

A while later Itoka arrived at the 13th Division's training yard to see his team even more worn out than before, Imari clearly hadn't taken on board what he had said about letting them rest.

As he looked around he caught the eye of the eager young red-head as she finished knocking a lower ranking Shinigami to the ground in a display that was a little too one sided to be called a sparing match. Upon seeing him she rapidly made her way over and bowed while still breathing heavily.

"Itoka-sam-", Itoka raised his hand to silence her, unnatural annoyance creasing his brow and the freshly applied paints on his face. He couldn't allow her apparent reign of terror to go on.

"I thought I told you to let them rest, not beat your fellow squad mates to a pulp." The harshness of his tone started the girl into momentary silence, but when he didn't follow up with anything else she finally found her voice and spoke, although much meeker than before.

"I- I was training them, they are too weak to face the enemy! They have to get stronger!" Itoka looked round at the team and saw some slumping against walls, weakness finally taking them while others struggled to carry on training.

"Do you think they've gotten stronger from your training? Do you think YOU'VE gotten stronger from your training?" the absence of Itoka's usual light tone seemed to almost scare Imari as she opened her mouth to speak but only managed a nod and a weak 'yes'.

"Then I'll fight you." He marched out into the centre of the yard and with the book still under his right arm he drew his sword with his weaker left hand. After a moment of stunned confusion she ran over and fearfully drew her own, but no sooner had she drawn the blade than Itoka leapt forwards and slashed his blade for her neck, a strike she barely managed to block.

He twisted his blade around and swept it down towards her thigh, her sword met the purposely obvious strike but It caught the fatigued girl off guard and she stumbled, and with few more rapid strike aimed at her upper arms and neck she fell backwards, sending her zanpakuto skidding away while she landed hard on the ground, Itoka's own zanpakuto following her all the way down before coming to a stop in contact with the skin of her exposed neck.

"You're dead…" he stated plainly before withdrawing the sword and sheathing it again. Slowly she sat up on her elbows, her eyes glowing with fear as she looked up at her team leader.

"B-but I didn't know we'd be fighting for real, I was too tired to defend myself!" she managed weakly, but Itoka's expression didn't warm at the excuse.

"Do you think the Arrancar will care if you're unprepared? Or if you're tired? If you train those under your command to roughly then they will resent your leadership, and you will wear down their confidence and more than anything, you will make them too weak to fight." Itoka sighed and turned to the rest of the squad who had been watching, each one of them equally fearful at the unusually tough display by their superior, but each of them eased a little as Itoka's expression mellowed out to his usual slight smile.

"You should all get some rest; we'll start training in a new way once you've all regained your energy."

Itoka began to walk away towards the 13th Barracks when one of his squad spoke up, making him stop and turn on the spot.

"Training in a new way? What do you mean, Isagiga-sama?" Itoka looked down at the book and a slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Up till now we've been training too rigidly… and rigidity leads to frailty… and I'll have no one say that the 13th is frail." Itoka turned without another word and walked back to the barracks. Although he didn't turn back he somehow knew that the team behind him were looking at each other and considering his words.

For the next few hours Itoka sat reading in his room, all concerns other than the book fading from his mind as he read about ideas, philosophies and histories of empires, lands and peoples he had never heard of before, but each as enthralling as the next. A gentle knock on the wooden door frame stirred him from his reading and Itoka peered over the edge of the book to see his team, headed by a nervous Imari, stood in his doorway, each looking either expectantly curious or somewhat down trodden, none more so than the young girl who's earlier defeat and chiding seemed to have forced some humility into her.

"What can I do for you?" Itoka said after a moment of contemplation and the red-head spoke up after looking back at her team mates.

"Isagiga-sama… you… you said that we were too rigid in our training, and that because of that we are weak…" the girl trailed off but the others behind her urged her on until she spoke again, "Isagiga-sama… how do we become stronger? How can we get better without drilling like we were taught to? What could be better than the lessons that have worked for so long?"

Itoka said nothing for a long moment as he looked at each of them in turn, considering what the looks upon their faces and the emotion in their eyes said to him, and after that long moment he decided that what he saw before him was clay.

"So you want to know what is better than the tired old lessons of the past that have gotten us only so far, and have made us complacent? You want to know what serves us better than the brute strength we are taught to use to break our enemies? If you do then I'll tell you of a better weapon." His team hung on his words and some even leaned forwards as if waiting to pounce on what he said next.

"I'll tell you of the wonders of Chaos."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **This Chapter didn't turn out quite as good as I expected, but thanks to the help of Von Doomsatan Products (good friend of mine) it's much better than it was before.

Please enjoy and if you don't like this chapter then just hang on for chapter 4, I'm planning it to be A LOT better and it should be up soon.

--------------------------------------

Captain Ukitake of the 13th Division sat silently in the light of dawn upon a hill that overlooked a lake which reflected the rosy red glow of the rising sun. Such a beautiful scene should have stirred up a sense of wonder within him, but all that came to the surface, drowning out everything else was a deepening sense of concern. His officers had delivered reports of odd goings on that he himself had eventually witnessed on his occasional late night walks. So many strange things had happened over the past two weeks that he barely knew what to think.

"Jushiro!" Called a lazy voice from behind, disturbing him from his dark thoughts, and instantly he recognized the source of his disruption.

"You're late as always, Shunsui." Ukitake Jushiro said to the approaching Captain of the 8th Division, who in his usual relaxed manner yawned and plopped down beside Jushiro on the hill and laid down, covering his face with his usual straw sakkat hat.

"I hope you're not going to go back to sleep on me, I've something important to talk to you about." Kyoraku Shunsui moved the hat from his face and looked up at his friend with a pleading expression.

"But you had me get up so early! I should still be sleeping! You best have a good reason for me to be up before the sun's started to go down." The obscurely dressed Captain said in a half mock tone.

Ukitake sat up straighter and the light smile that had crept onto his face at the sight of his friend fell away as quickly as it had appeared, making Ukitake take on a business like stern expression as he stared out towards the shimmering waters once more.

"My officers have been telling me of strange goings on in my squad over the past few weeks, and I've been seeing odd things myself whenever I'm no bed ridden. I'm not sure what to make of it all." the worry in Ukitake's voice snapped Kyoraku from his sleepy state and caught his attention. It was never good when Jushiro got this troubled by something.

"What kind of goings on? It's got to be something more than just a troublesome squad member if you drag me out of bed at this hour."

"Members of my squad have started to act… weird… for lack of a better word," Ukitake stated, he seemed to be almost wrestling with the words, the thought of unrest amongst his soldiers clearly disturbed him, "Some have started to act differently, some of it is only small things like holding their zanpakutos differently, where as others are quite alarming, for instance, I watched a patrol the other night act more like a pack of jackals prowling in the shadows , its… its so strange that they'd change their tactics so vastly from the set methods."

"Were we so different?" Kyoraku sighed as he wriggled into a more comfortable position on the grass, "We didn't exactly stick to the prescribed drills when we were young, we went out on our own and discovered what worked for us, and look at us now! Surely you can't think that a few soldiers trying to find their own way is a bad thing?"

"You're right, a few soldiers finding their own style isn't a bad thing…"

Kyoraku nodded to himself resolutely at Jushiro's words, as if proud of himself for coming up with a little nugget of wisdom, "But we're not talking about a few creative rebels… we're talking about a full two thirds of my squad or more."

Shunsui tilted his hat up and looked his friend in the eye, his surprise blatant in his expression.

"That's quite a few…" he understated calmly as he sat up.

"That's not all there is either… there have been sightings of shrouded figures moving around with hidden rietsu. They conceal their faces and hide their division badges, but they're unmistakeably Shinigami."

"Nanao-chan has told me that some of our own ranks have started to display odd behaviour as well, and Captain Unohana mentioned similar goings on also. What do you think might be happening?" Jushiro was clearly alarmed by the information and he looked towards the bloody horizon once more in deep contemplation.

They sat in silence for long moments as each of them thought of what such a change of behaviour amongst the three squads could mean, but it was Ukitake who spoke first and his words came with a dark tone.

"What if Aizen, Ichimaru and Tosen weren't the only ones to turn traitor? What if before they left they had corrupted others amongst the squads and now they're causing trouble to break us from within?" they both considered the words and the dark meaning they held. If Aizen had indeed left behind others to disrupt their preparations for the coming Winter War, it would cause a lot of trouble, and even weeding out the traitors would set back their preparations considerably.

"I'll speak with Unohana and warn her to keep an eye out," said Kyoraku as he stood and stretched, "And I'll speak to my officers as well, and if anything is going on I trust them enough to believe they won't be in on it, so maybe they can help put a stop to anything sinister."

Jushiro nodded and stood as well, his mind was even more troubled now than it had been before, the hope he had that Shunsui would be able to dispel his fears had evidently been in vain but at least now he knew he hadn't been seeing things.

"I'll speak to my officers as well, and I'll talk with the other Captains to see if they've seen any changes in their soldiers."

Something about the events of the past two weeks didn't sit well with him, they didn't seem to be Aizen's style, but despite his doubts, or possibly his hopes, he had to make sure.

As soon as the Captain of the 13th Division had returned to his office he had sent for his top ten seated officers, and each arrived as swiftly as he knew they would.

The officers and their Captain gathered in the large room outside of his office as he explained what he had seen and learned, and he entrusted them with his theory about the disturbances being related to Aizen, knowing that none of them would speak of it outside of the room in fear of alerting the potential traitors and causing them to take their operations underground.

After his explanation, Ukitake turned to his officers who had so far remained silent while listening attentively, and awaited any questions or comments they may have. Much to his surprise the first to speak were not his usually boisterous joint 3rd seats, but instead it was his 5th seated officer, a young man by the name of Isagiga Itoka, who broke the silence before the higher ranking pair had a chance.

"My Captain, I took it upon myself to order my team to observe some of the lower squad members who've been acting oddly, and they've noticed that they all, at some point, head towards a storage building in the 3rd Division's area. It seems as if they have meetings there quite often." Ukitake stared at his 5th seat for a few moments, a mixture of surprise and pride welling up inside of him. The young officer was much liked among the squad and was quite adept in both Demon Arts and swordsmanship, but he had never thought him to possess such initiative.

"You seem to have discovered yet more useful information, Isagiga-san," beamed Captain Ukitake as he remembered the boy's find in the Archive some weeks ago, "You're shaping up to be quite the officer." At this Itoka straightened with pride and smiled slightly but kept his eyes fixed on his Captain.

"What I want you all to do is take those in your teams you believe you can trust and set up patrols, some covert, and some noticeable, along the route to the 3rd Division's warehouse, maybe the not so brave amongst the wayward souls of our squad will be put off by the visible patrols, while the covert patrols will find those who are still determined to meet up with their partners in crime, so to speak. I'll co-ordinate our patrols with those of the other squads, hopefully we can stop whatever these mysterious Shinigami have planned, or at least discover what they want and delay it. Dismissed."

As Jushiro's officers bowed and left he asked Isagiga to stay behind so they could talk privately. Itoka stood quietly and waiting for him to send urgent messages to the other Captains, but while he did so he considered the boy.

Itoka was quite young for an officer, but had shown above average ability in all fields of training at the academy and had rapidly grown in popularity upon joining the squad, but he had never been more than an above average Shinigami, he was useful but rarely excelled or defined himself against his fellow officers, but over the recent weeks he had begun to show promise, a rough gem who had been polished by the work that needed to be done in preparation for the war with the Arrancar.

Now he stood taller than he usually did, a mix of physical growth and posture change gave him an air of grandeur. He had developed more muscle from the rigorous work he did with his team and with the other officers and squads, and he seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge which made Ukitake glad that his officer shared his love of learning. His usual mess of dirty blonde hair was tied back in three elaborate braids with luminous blue streaks weaving amongst them, and his signature decorative eye paint seemed to have taken on a more vibrant, jagged design.

All in all his presence seemed to exude confidence and ability, and Ukitake couldn't help but admire the change in the lad.

"Isagiga-san," he said at last after the last message had been given over to a runner, "You've been working extremely hard since the news of the Arrancar was passed down to you, and you're certainly showing promise."

"Thank you, my Captain." Isagiga said with a proud smile tugging at his look of fierce determination.

"Despite the news of so many of our squad changing their styles and tactics your team has stuck to the tried and tested methods, and it hasn't escaped my notice or that of the other officers that their strength has increased substantially." Ukitake looked hard into Itoka's eyes for a moment, making sure what he was about to say deserved to be said, and with a small nod he decided it did.

"4th Seat Kotimari has been ill for some time and hasn't been able to attend to her duties as a team leader and an officer of the 13th. I've spoken with her and she's agreed to take up a different position, and I believe that you've proven yourself strong enough and smart enough to fill in the gap she leaves."

Itoka looked taken back, his surprise unchecked and the sight of the boy's serious expression being broken made Jushiro want to chuckle, but he held the urge back and simply smiled broadly.

"Am I to take that look as your acceptance?" Itoka's mouth opened and closed without forming words for a time before he finally managed to choke out the words,

"Th-thank you… Thank you, Captain! I won't let you down!" he bowed low, and turned to leave when Ukitake told him he could.

4th Seat Isagiga Itoka showed much promise and much strength and reasoning power, all of which made him popular amongst the soldiers of the 13th and its officers, and all of which were the qualities required to be a lieutenant. Ukitake decided to keep a close eye on the boy's progress from now on; maybe in the near future he could fill a gap which had remained vacant for far too long.

4th Seat Isagiga Itoka walked rigidly away from his Captain's office as quickly as he could, the expression of surprise still etched upon his face, but as he turned a corner and began heading towards his room in the barrack of the 13th Division he loosened up and the surprise instantly dropped away, returning to him his usual expression of calm determination.

"4th Seat…" Itoka laughed as he muttered to himself, "Just as we planned…"

Isagiga made sure that no one was around before slipping into his room when he got back to the barracks, and as he shut the door and looked around the room his eyes were instantly drawn to the tome his hands had almost ached to hold, which lay on a simple desk opposite the door.

Itoka picked up the book and ran his hands over the tough leather cover while turning it end over end, as if examining it for damage. Why had it been on the desk… hadn't he left it under his pillow…? Such thoughts fled his mind as he stopped his inspection of the book and placed it back down on the desk in front of him.

"The Captain has accepted the diversion and handed me the 4th Seat as we planned." He said out loud, seemingly to no one but himself.

"_Of course he did, did you have any doubts that the plan would fail?"_ the sweet whisper was clear in his mind, he had come to terms with the fact that it was not the voice that for some time he had thought to be his inner monologue, he knew now, although he wasn't sure how, that the book itself was speaking to him, speaking directly into his mind, but whenever he tried to think on the matter the sweet voice would ease his concern and draw his thoughts to other, more important matters.

"No… but I thought he'd take more convincing. But now a new problem has appeared, we're without a meeting place. I handed them the warehouse like we discussed, but while their searches are concentrated there we need to find somewhere else to spread the word of Chaos."

"_Have you forgotten so quickly? We already decided didn't we? Our followers amongst the 4__th__ know of many placed no one else would think to look for secret meetings. The sewers have many chambers in which to gather, and many escape routes if the unthinkable should happen and we are indeed found."_

Itoka nodded along as the book spoke, remembering the plans they had made just before the sun had risen, after the last of their meetings that would take place above ground. Itoka has not slept the night of the discussion but despite being on early patrols and meeting with his Captain, he did not feel tired, it was as if the book gave him new energy and burned away his fatigue.

"I'll call for the next meeting to be tomorrow night… tonight will be used for preparations." Itoka began to pace back and forth as he plotted and discussed with the mysterious tome, new purpose and energy filling him yet again with the idea of the next step.

"_Preparations? Have you decided to enact the first ritual?"_ the sweet whisper seemed pleased at the idea and it spread a euphoric feeling through Itoka's system, which threatened to make him break down into a fit of giddy laughter, but he maintained control of himself and spoke on.

"Yes… but the stone might be a problem. From what Imari has told me the ryoka who are mining the receptive stone have run into some difficulties. They may not have it ready as soon as we would like."

"_Don't worry, they'll have it ready," _Assured the voice with no concern in its tone, _"They will deliver on time. Call the meeting for tomorrow night and gather the sacrifice, everything else will fall into place."_

Itoka nodded and turned to leave the room, "Tomorrow we will take our first true steps towards becoming strong enough to defeat the Arrancar."

The following day had passed painfully slowly for Itoka as Ukitake had given him leave from his duties to adjust to his expanded team (all of which he had hand picked from those who attended the meetings) and extra duties, but his subordinates had done the tedious extra work for him, somewhat regrettably leaving him with nothing to do other than oversee the delivery of the large plinth of obsidian stone to a large chamber within the labyrinth of the sewers. His followers performed well in their duty of overseeing the monolith's stealthy arrival, and Itoka found his attention drifting between the slightly peaked stone and the new mark on his hand.

Itoka had been reading the tome for hours, memorising every detail of the ritual that would soon be enacted, and as he did so he muttered the incantations and instructions over and over, almost fanatically, all the while he ran his fingers along the eight pointed star on the book's cover, feeling a curious warmth coming from the thin strips of metal that lay inside the carved mark.

"_You show such amazing dedication to this cause, Itoka, you're not leaving anything to chance and you've shown such skill in managing those whom have chosen to follow you in your mission." _The sweet whisper said, yet again that delicious feeling of euphoria slipped through his system, threatening to over-throw his control and send him into a fit of giggles, but again his resolve won out and he confined the outburst to the simple trembling of his hands.

"_Such a leader should be a symbol, an icon to his followers, and so you should take an icon to show to them, to give them something to look up to… you deserve to receive the mark of Chaos."_

"The Mark of Chaos?" Itoka asked the warm night air within his room as he stared at the pages of the book, half expecting something to jump out at him.

"_You're touching it Itoka, you chose the symbol you would take the moment you began to walk down this path. Chaos comes in many forms, many different types, each a face of the larger diamond, and as such you should show your dominion of all by taking the symbol of the hydra the heads belong to. The symbol of Chaos Undivided."_

Itoka closed the book and looked at the cover, and at the eight pointed star that seemed to pulse attractively in the dim light, calling to him, and once again he ran his fingers along the warm metal before slowly sliding his left hand over the mark, and as if some great vacuum had opened up inside the book his palm was sucked down tightly onto the mark. Itoka's heart raced as the warmth turned to prickling heat, and then from prickling heat into an excruciating inferno against his skin.

Itoka wanted to cry out but the pain stole his voice and his body refused to obey his orders to pull away, but just as he thought the pain would overcome him it began to change, something about the crisping of his flesh made the euphoric feeling rise within him once more, making his urge to cry out in pain turn into a cry of pleasure. As quickly as it had begun it finished, and Itoka's hand came away from the book with wisps of smoke rising from his flesh as he turned his palm towards his eyes to see liquid metal within the eight pointed scar that still smouldered and crisped.

"_Marks have great power, and within this mark you can control great power which you will understand in time."_

"Isagiga-sama." The nearby voice jolted Itoka from his thoughts and once again he was in the dank sewer, where lights and a raised platform were being setup by lower ranking Shinigami dressed in their usual uniforms, but with their rank insignia covered up and their faces covered in ceremonial head-gear that was often used in Soul Society.

"Yes Imari?" Itoka said, not even needing to look up to see who had spoken.

"The monolith has been set up, Sir and the sacrifice has arrived. She's currently unconscious and being watched over." Imari had taken to speaking in a much softer tone ever since her brutal beating at the hands of Itoka, which was brought about by her disturbance of a meeting thanks to her loud voice. Everyone had been irritated; especially Isagiga who had been excitedly telling the crowd about the strength that awaited them if they followed the way of Chaos. Her wounds still hadn't faded after over a week of recuperation.

"Good work, Imari, how long until the meeting begins?" Imari seemed to nervously smile at the compliment and bowed low.

"Just over half an hour, Isagiga-sama." He nodded to her and she ran off to attend to other duties in preparation for the hundreds of people who arrive to witness and partake in the ritual. This would be an exciting night.

Itoka opened the book to a page that displayed the ritual symbols and outlay that he would follow, and after accepting a bucket and brush from a shrouded Shinigami he began to delicately draw the patterns around the stone edifice with a pungent mix of coagulated blood and rotting flesh. After painstaking minutes of precise work and muttering of incantations and mantras Itoka finally put down the brush and made his way to the freshly erected platform nearby, as small groups of Shinigami began to enter the room and instinctively took their places around the circle, none of them daring to step into it while Itoka stood and watched in silence.

Half an hour passed before everyone who was meant to be there had arrived, and with a raised hand Itoka brought silence to the shrouded mass that stood waiting and wondering what would happen that night.

"So far, my brothers and sisters, we have done well… we have become stronger by accepting the ways of change, we have drawn strength from variety while others become stagnant and weak by using the same old tired drills, that have already proven to be highly ineffective against our enemy thanks to the attack by the hated Arrancar upon the Captain of the 10th, and those who followed him to the 'real' world…" Itoka paused for a moment and looked around, each and every pair of eyes was upon him, each person in the room intent upon his words, and everyone waited for what he would say next.

He adored the power that he held over them.

"Changing our tactics, and experimenting with different sword styles will only get us so far, my brothers and sisters… for these are simple changes that only unlock the most base improvements in ourselves. So far we have been but children, toying with a grown up's zanpakuto, pretending to be the best swordsman in the world but never knowing the true power than lies within.

Chaos is that untapped power! Chaos is not just an ideal but a force! An unimaginable source of power than transcends the meagre Demon Arts that we use here. There is a place where this force lies, another space filled with power and wonders even the wildest imagination could not conceive.

Today we will open a doorway to this space called The Warp, so that we will no longer be children playing in ignorance, but instead we shall stand tall and be guided by the light of knowledge!

When I learned of the power that lies within the warp, and learnt of the beings that reside within, I looked upon myself and wondered, how have we been able to call ourselves 'Death Gods' when we are but the palest imitations of the TRUE Gods of Death! That is what we aspire to achieve today! We will gain a power which not only the Arrancar will fear, but so will all of Soul Society, and with the power of the Chaos Gods at our command we will break away the rigid liabilities that infect our great force of Shinigami, and replace them with those of the faithful who acquire strength through change!

The first step, my friends, is to make a doorway for the energies of the Warp, and this Monolith will act as a fountain from which our strength shall flow, so… let us no longer delay our future… Begin the ritual!"

Hundreds of shrouded Shinigami began to chant in time as they had all been instructed to do, and as the dead language of a long forgotten civilization was given voice once more something beneath the surface of the black stone began to shift like smoke, and the congealed human liquids that made up the symbols and circles around the monolith began to boil as the sacrifice was brought forward. The drugged woman hung limp in the arms of two large men, her head lolling from side to side as she muttered incoherently while she was roughly dropped to her knees before the black stone, the smoke within seemed to react violently to her presence and swirled with greater intensity, like an animal eager to feast.

"Innocent blood must be spilt so that their betters can grow in power. Thus is the way of the universe." Itoka's voice was low but cut clearly over the chanting crowd, he held the book open but he knew the words off by heart, and even without consulting the page he knew what to do, and so he raised his hand and a shrouded Shinigami stepped forward, her zanpakuto in hand, and as Itoka's hand dropped, the sword was thrust through the sacrifices heart. She shuddered for a moment, convulsions taking hold of her as her life blood began to leak out of the wound, and then her eyes began to glaze as her impending death sank in past the haze of drugs. The sight sent a shiver of pleasure down Itoka's spine.

"Quickly! Before her life fades! Pierce the stone with your zanpakuto!" he cried, excitement gripping him as the moment that the doorway to true strength would be opened was imminent.

"What the hell is this shit?" the voice, though not loud, cut through all others, and everyone froze in shock and horror, cutting the ritual short at its final moments.

Itoka looked at the sacrifice that was slumped, motionless in the arms of her carriers, all signs of life gone with the bloodied zanpakuto still run through her. The sacrifice had been spoilt.

Rage rose within him, for his chance at power and ultimate knowledge had been wrecked and nothing but the notion of revenge existed in his mind at that moment.

Slowly he turned, marshalling all the control he could muster as he looked to the archway entrance and the outsider who had interrupted the ritual.

"Who the hell are you?"


	4. Chapter 4

For a long while no one dared break the deafening silence, the only sound to be heard was the dripping of blood until the intruder stepped from the shadowed archway into the light.

"I-Ikkaku-sama!" exclaimed a fearful masked Shinigami who was evidently from the same division.

Ikkaku stood with his zanpakuto casually resting on his shoulder and a malicious smirk playing on his lips, but as he looked over the congregation he noticed through a gap in the crowed the skewered woman hanging limply in the arms of two men.

"What the hell is this shit?" his expression dropped into one of anger and shock as he looked upon a type of death he was not used to. For him fighting and killing was a way of life, but the cold-blooded murder of innocents…

"3rd Seat Ikkaku-sama!" called Itoka with a smile filled with wild rage which broke Ikkaku away from his grim contemplation, "I don't expect you to understand how we plan on driving Soul Society forward, so I can forgive your ignorance, but what I _can't_ forgive, what I WON'T forgive is the ruination of our advancement which you have just caused!"

Ikkaku stared into Itoka's wild eyes with pure disgust as he lowered his sword and shifted his feet, readying himself for the inevitable clash. Everyone between the two parted instantly, none of the onlookers wanting to get involved with those far above their own skill level.

"Progress? You call murdering innocents progress?!" Ikkaku ground his teeth as he spoke, literally biting back his anger, "I don't care what you THINK you're doing, all I know is that Aizen should have chosen to turn people who could tell when they were being followed. A good chunk of the 11th are down here with me, but by the time they get here there won't be any of you murdering bastards left! PREPARE YOURSELF, ISAGIGA, YOU TRAITOR!"

Itoka began to laugh, a loud, maniac laugh that carried across the entire chamber and made his followers shiver as they saw their leader draw his blade while Ikkaku drew his own.

"If you plan on stepping in the way of or march towards change, then you best prepare yourself to be trampled! And as you clearly have no intention of showing any good sense and forgetting what you've seen then I'll have to take this seriously." Itoka shifted his feet into a wide stance and slowly spun his zanpakuto in a lazy arc in front of him.

"Show your radiance, Star of Heaven!" as Itoka's zanpakuto swung the metal of the blade shed away in a cloud of dust and the wrapping of the hilt slid away to reveal a sword of pure crystal.

"Take this seriously, eh? Don't get too full of yourself 4th Seat Isagiga! Grow, Hozukimaru!!!" as quick as lightning Ikkaku shot forward, the speed of his passing knocked many that lined the path into their fellows as he thrust his released zanpakuto spear towards Itoka's chest, but just before he got in range Itoka swung his blade as if to block, and as he did the crystal sword flared with a blinding white light which made colours burst in front of Ikkaku's eyes and stunned him temporarily, causing him to stumble on the steps of the raised platform.

Hozukimaru met with nothing but thin air as Ikkaku recovered his stance and blinked rapidly to try and rid himself of the blindness.

"Spineless asshole! Just what I'd expect from a bookworm of the 13th Division. Cheap tricks and cowardliness!" Ikkaku's eyes began to clear and he made out a shifting shape to his left, which he reflexively lashed out at with a wide sweep that Itoka easily danced around before slashing Star of Heaven down in a head splitting strike, but Ikkaku was too quick and blocked the blade with the wood of his weapon, but upon impact there was another flash and a burst of searing heat that singed Ikkaku's eyelashes and made him jump back to gain some distance.

"Dammit!" Ikkaku cursed as swiped widely at the sound of rapid footsteps from all around him, _"This is no good! I can't fight if the bastard keeps blinding me!" _he though to himself as his blade missed time and time again, _"I'll have to let him come to me!"_ Itoka ran forward and side stepped another clumsy swing by Ikkaku and readied his blade for an upward thrust aimed at his heart.

"Got you!" Isagiga exclaimed, but a moment later he regretted his outburst as the ever alert Ikkaku Madarame with eyes closed tight smiled widely, and broke his staff into three segments and with the linking chain between two sections he trapped Itoka's zanpakuto as he spun away and flicked the section with the blade down to slice Itoka's left arm.

Itoka grunted with pain as he managed to hammer his foot into the gut of Ikkaku who had been forced into a difficult stance due to his evasion, and pulled his sword free. Itoka jumped back as far as he could before checking his arm to see just how bad the cut was, and to his annoyance the blade had sunk quite deep making his left arm nearly useless.

"I told ya," chuckled Ikkaku, "Don't get too full of yourself, just because you're only one seat below me doesn't mean you actually have a chance to defeat me, I'm way stronger than any normal 3rd Seat! Maybe its time for me to get serious too!"

Ikkaku burst forward and readied a lunge, his speed was phenomenal and Itoka knew he had no chance to dodge so instead he slammed his sword against the floor and a wall of solid light erupted upwards, it was a technique that had stopped even a Gillian's cero, but against Ikkaku Madarame's brutal new strength it was as tissue to a chainsaw, and the tip of his zanpakuto slid through the barrier with ease and slammed into his already weak left arm, and with a sadistic twist Ikkaku dragged the blade out to the side, slicing his bicep in two and tearing free of the skin in a horrific shower of blood.

Stars of pain exploded in Itoka's vision as the scream he attempted to give voice to died in his throat, and the ground came rushing up to meet him.

'How did his power increase so much? Why was my new strength not enough to defeat him?' Itoka wondered to himself as he lay there bleeding while Ikkaku moved to stand over him with no other wound than that of the heat flash from his Star of Heaven.

"_Do you forget your own words so easily?" _the book said to him from the far away podium with a voice that sounded so close, _"The changes you've made are only superficial compared to the TRUE rewards of Chaos. You've gotten a little ahead of yourself, but don't worry, you still have strength left, and the Chaos gods do not let those who carry their mark drop so easily, especially when they're so close to taping into the power of the Warp. All you need is to complete the ritual."_

"The ritual…" Itoka whispered to himself as he struggled into a kneeling position in front of Ikkaku who stood waiting to deliver the finishing blow.

"Any final words before you die, Traitor?" Ikkaku's sadistic smirk had returned but Itoka would not be intimidated. Instead of cowering in fear for his life, Itoka grinned broadly as he shook from blood loss and looked up to see his followers crowding round the two in fear and astonishment, clearly none had thought that the one who had preached strength through change could be bested by one who followed the herd, and the doubt was clear in their eyes.

Itoka could not let their faith be shaken now.

"I can't forgive you, Madarame, you ruined our sacrifice, but there is one thing you can do to help smooth out this little indiscretion." Ikkaku laughed heartily at the bravery of Itoka's words and knelt down with an indulgent smile.

"And what would you have me do?" he asked sarcastically, staring into Itoka's eyes as Isagiga's eyes began to burn with anger.

"Replace her!" unknown strength poured into Itoka's ruined left arm and forced impossible movement, causing him to grab Ikkaku's face, covering up the look of total shock with his marked palm. Ikkaku tried to move his weapon around to defend himself, but before he could the eight pointed star in Itoka's palm began to glow and a sudden ferocious burst of blue fire crisped the flesh of Ikkaku's face and catapulted him backwards into the large edifice of black stone.

"NOW!" screamed Itoka, and instantly all the Shinigami within range drew their swords and slammed them into the chest of the defenceless Ikkaku, stapling him to the monolith and spilling every drop of his blood onto the surface.

Suddenly a great sucking sound like a static filled vacuum penetrated the room with its deafening roar, and Ikkaku's body was pulled into the stone, becoming nothing more than a terrified, outreaching shadow within the darkness. The sucking sound became increasingly quiet until the monolith feel silent and all apart from Itoka looked upon it with confusion, each of them wondering if that was all that would happen, but Itoka some how knew without prompt from the book's sweet voice, or from knowledge store within its pages that that was just the beginning.

A sudden wave of silent concussive force burst from the focusing stone and spread rapidly outwards through all of Soul Society and into the worlds connected to it. An earth void of the Warp's caress received its first touch of Chaos as the invisible wave of energy burst through the weakest points between the worlds and reeked sudden havoc, touching souls and breaking electronic equipment, and giving the real world a small taste of what horrors were to come, and Hueco Mundo, the world of the Hollows did not go unmolested as the dark energies even managed to make themselves be felt through the heavy barrier that separated it from the Soul Society.

The burst of earth trembling energy ceased as quickly as it had begun and everything settled across the three worlds, leaving its mark where ever it had touched, but nowhere was as badly affected as Soul Society had been. The 12th Division's building had nearly been destroyed when the machines they used to try and analyze the energy exploded, injuring many and taking a portion of the outer wall with them. The 4th Division's hospital walls were weak and had shed some of their matter, but the majority still stood, and the sub-terrainian archive's ancient walls had suffered massive damage, but despite the destruction the sewers that housed the Monolith had remained untouched, although all within it had been bowled over by the concussive blast.

Itoka got back to his feet unsteadily, his arm still bleeding heavily and his face was pale from blood loss, but new energy filled him as he felt the energy now calmly pouring through the black stone and seeping into everything around it.

Some of crowd stood in silent awe of the power they felt while others wept in joy, and some who were too weak to comprehend what they felt broke down into gibbering wrecks, but after a time they all came to their senses and turned to look at their leader as if to ask what direction they were to take next, but Itoka stood before them close to the brink of collapsing, all that sustained him was the energy that the ritual had given to him, but even now that was rapidly becoming insufficient, and a universal look of concern and doubt spread across the congregation's faces.

"I-Isagiga-sama…" said Imari, somewhat fearfully, but despite her concern he could see in her eyes the words that they all wished to speak.

'_How could this be? Will this really make us stronger? He couldn't even defeat someone a single seat above him without help. Chaos doesn't seem as powerful as he said it was.'_

The doubt they all showed openly angered and worried Itoka, he had come too far to be turned upon now for a simple weakness of the flesh. Damn it! Why did his flesh have to be so fragile? Why did his muscle have to tear so easily? Why did his skin have to be cut so effortlessly? Would he lose them all because of this small weakness?

"_You have done well,", _came the soothing whisper in Itoka's mind, melting away all his concerns with unnerving ease, _"You opened the first of many gateways to the Warp in this world, and the Chaos Gods do not so easily forget the achievements of their chosen."_

"How can I be anyone's chosen when I break so easily? I should have been able to win effortlessly!" Itoka whispered angrily to himself as he tried to stem the flow of blood, and as he did so the voice laughed heartily.

"_Poor Itoka, you don't see it do you? You ARE strong, you had to be to get this far. It is only your flesh that is weak. Do you remember what to do with things that are weak? And remember, the Chaos Gods reward their chosen."_

Itoka looked down at his injured arm and the ruin of muscle, skin, blood and bone that he so desperately held together as the book's words played in his mind.

"We throw away things that are weak…" he said aloud as he shifted his shaking hand and dug his fingers deep into the wound and began to pull with all this might at the skin.

"ITOKA-SAMA!" Imari exclaimed in horror as her leader attempted to skin his arm, but she could not bring herself to stop him, something held her back but it was not any physical hand.

"We throw away things that are weak, and replace them with things…" Itoka gave one last roar of pain as the skin began to slide off, bringing the muscles and veins with it in a shower of blood before he threw it away, "That are strong!" suddenly he thrust his left arm into the air, and to the astonishment of all his arm was not the ruin of flesh they expected it to be, but instead in its place was an arm of skin tight indigo armour plates and intricate silver etchings along its surface that led into a clawed hand with iron talons and strips that followed the ridges of his hand, and upon its palm stood out the eight pointed star that emitted a deep blue flame from its depths.

The star on his palm began to burn furiously; both with literal flame and inner pain, but Itoka welcomed both and allowed them to wash over him in exquisite waves. The new arm was the same size as his old one, yet had been concealed under thick layers of skin and muscle, but the details of how such a thing could be possible didn't bother him, the how's and the whys of trivial matters didn't deserve his concern, the sheer fact that he had been given such a gift was enough for him, and as he had pulled the flesh away from his new limb he had felt a power rise from within it, like a heavy old sheet finally being removed from a dazzlingly bright lamp, but this was not the extent of its power, he felt the arm's hunger, he felt HIS hunger, something new within him that transcended the need for food and water, it was a need for raw energy.

Isagiga raised his new arm over the heads of his followers with a grin and pointed his open palm towards the shifting shadows within the great black stone and uttered words he somehow recalled from the book, the meaning of which escaped him but their purpose was clear, and as the words spilled from his lips great black tendrils of flame lifted from the monolith and suddenly whipped towards him, but as all around him ducked and ran for their lives Itoka stood firm, and was rewarded with nearly orgasmic pain as his palm hungrily sucked in the vile energies, making each etching on his arm glow brightly and every virgin plate of Chaos carapace shiver and harden.

"The faithful shall be rewarded! The non-believer shall be struck down!" all within the chamber bowed before the terrifying visage of Isagiga Itoka as deep blue flames began to cover his entire body, and some began to call out to what they called 'The Blessed Hand' asking to be touched by its power, but Itoka ignored the petty begging of the weaklings before him, for with the fire and energy came knowledge and vision beyond what his eyes provided. Every mind around him was open because of their admiration, and things became known to him that they would have kept secret. His eyes snapped to a stealthily retreating Shinigami at the rear of the gathering.

"And the traitor… Shall be shown the full fury of the Gods of Death!" the traitor knew he had been found out and tried to shunpo away, but Itoka's new found power made him quicker, and with a flick of his new wrist a burst of lightning caught the man square in his back and slammed him into the wall.

"You led Ikkaku here, and more of the 11th Division will be here soon won't they?" Itoka didn't wait for an answer, he already knew the truth, and amongst the group panic began to spread, but Itoka stayed calm as he approached the slowly rising traitor.

"They'll kill you all, you sick bastards!" the man shouted as he once again tried to move away, but just as he began his flash step Itoka grabbed him, his own speed had been increased far beyond that of the low ranking Shinigami and the gap in speed marked his death.

"You've outlived your usefulness…" Itoka's tone was as cold as the grave they had all fallen into at one point or another, and with throat in metal claw he explored his new power and found the perfect fate for a betrayer of the newly founded cult.

The man began to scream as he writhed in Itoka's grip, but no amount of struggling could free him from the energies that poured into him and corrupted his form. With sickening speed his body began to shift, his skin distended like a balloon being inflated in fast forward and new protrusions started to push outwards as he became the base form of Chaos corruption, an animalistic but totally lethal spawn.

Itoka let go of the massive, misshapen beast and watched it with wide eyed curiosity and amusement as it tried to adjust to the cumbersome and impractical form it now inhabited. He had planned to kill it but now he felt as though it may be useful for something, it reminded him of a guard dog.

"_Be careful, even with your new found power it can be hard to control Spawns of the Warp, especially since you haven't gotten used to your new abilities."_ Itoka kept an eye on the creature, as did everyone else in the room as he stepped towards where he had left the book and went to pick it up.

"It seems pretty harmless for now," He said aloud, not caring who heard him, "Although I plan on changing tha-" as soon as he placed his hand on the book he felt a screeching burst of static power wash over him as if a monstrously sized rietsu had suddenly forced its way into the room.

"This isn't Chaos energy is it?" he asked the book, and it answered him in an almost amused tone.

"_It appears the amount of energy you've unleashed and have been throwing around has somewhat weakened the walls between worlds, from the texture of the rietsu I'd say you're about to receive some company of the Hollow persuasion."_

Sure enough as the book had said, tares began to open in mid air and dozens of Hollows of all shapes and sizes began to drop through amongst the throng of people.

"To arms my brothers and sisters! Show them the price of interrupting us!" all who were adept enough drew their zanpakutos and released them with colourful shouts, while others stepped back and began the lengthy chants of daemon arts while more and more Hollows dropped through and began their attack, and the newly born spawn began to attack anything near by, friend and foe alike.

Itoka stood on the raised platform and surveyed the battle with a grimace; too many Hollows were coming through. It was as if Hueco Mundo was emptying itself out into the room.

"Dammit… if you want a job doing right…" he muttered to himself as he raised the Blessed Hand and began to recite lines that the book began to show him, and as he spoke the monolith's inner shadows began to swirl and faintly glow, and with each word they spun faster and faster and became even brighter, until they came in towards each and with a great boom a shockwave erupted from the stone and knocked all who stood to the floor, and suddenly the doorways to Hueco Mundo violently sealed shut, slicing apart the Hollows who were half way through.

The Hollows on the ground began to writhe in pain as the black flame lashed across them from the monolith, but instead of destroying them they began to mutate as the traitor had done, but more selectively. Some grew larger claws, the masks of others cracked and fresh distorted limbs grew from within while others became tangles of talons, limbs, jaws and eyes who belched disease and flame. Itoka himself was surprised at the changes but his surprise changed to anger as the book laughed heartily in his mind.

"You had this planned didn't you? Now they're even harder to beat!" the book calmed itself and spoke once more, unashamed of its trickery.

"_Indeed I had this planned, but defeating them isn't a problem, just use your imagination and I'm sure you'll do fine."_

"DAMMIT! You're REALLY starting to piss me off, you useless old relic!" a Hollow charged Itoka as he threw the book to the floor and he raised his zanpakuto to protect himself, but upon seeing the blade which he had forgotten he had retrieved he remembered how it had failed him, and so he threw it to the floor and instead slammed his flaming fist into the hollows mask, shattering it instantly and making it erupt in dissolving fire.

More and more rose to challenge him and each one was beaten down with ease and rising rage.

"You will suffer! You will ALL suffer!" he bellowed before turning to meet a dozen who decided to charge him all at once, "I gave you your mutations, and I can take them away!" Itoka made a grabbing motion in front of him, then ripped his arm backwards, and instantly all the hollows fell screaming, large sections of their body that had been attached to mutations disappeared, many died but the stronger ones remained and hopelessly flailed in an attempt to get away or carry on their assault.

"Weak filth! Where's the strength you came here with? Are you nothing without the power I provide?" the Shinigami who still lived quickly picked their way through the flailing Hollows and stood beside Itoka, their weapons still at the ready, "Will you lie there and die like useless scum? Or will you become strong again? Either way you are nothing but dogs, but you can choose to be dead dogs, or living dogs. I have need of the strength you can provide, and if you offer it to me I shall give you Hollow and Shinigami flesh to feast on."

The Hollows began to slow their movements, Itoka's words seemed to get through to the ravenous animals and they quietened in order to hear him better. His offer to quench their eternal hunger was nourishment in itself.

"So… what is your answer?" Itoka waiting for a long moment of silence before a unified cry of acceptance blared from bone masked faces, and so with a flick of his wrist flesh was restored, and more was grown atop of it. The Shinigami stood and waited, each one expecting the Hollows to turn on their word and attack again, but instead each one bowed as best it could before Isagiga.

"Welcome, my Hollow Hounds, to the Cult of the Blessed Hand." Itoka smiled as Shinigami and Hollow alike took to the new unifying name without complaint and raised their voices in praise of the new union.

"Was this a way of teaching me to stand on my own two feet? Or did you just want to see me struggle and potentially die?" Itoka said quietly while those around him chanted.

"_Which ever you think is more fitting. But either way, now you have an army."_


End file.
